


It Was Raining

by Adraowen



Series: Ariel dances to the beat of his own heart [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: First Meetings, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:22:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22070971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adraowen/pseuds/Adraowen
Summary: It was raining when Ariel Yahir Scheherazade met Claude von Riegan. It was affection at first sight.
Relationships: Claude von Riegan/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Ariel dances to the beat of his own heart [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1588639
Kudos: 3





	It Was Raining

The first time Ariel met Claude, it was raining.

His head was pounding and there was an incessant ringing, almost as though a tiny and shrill sounding bell was being shaken vigorously by his ear. He stumbled down the dusty side streets of the illustrious capital of Almyra and watched in sick pleasure as those few citizens still braving the night air scurried quickly out of his path. He was still a small boy with barely enough muscle to fill out his growing body, so when he was able to make himself look even the slightest bit dangerous, he reveled in the power it provided him.

Nader always called him names for being so small in stature and, as he would call it, dainty as a flower. Ariel had tried to knock him out for even hinting at weakness but Nader was anything but dainty and Ariel had quickly learned it was better to be oil and let the words slide off than to let them stick and fester. His temper could only handle so many beatings.

He came across a washing basin as he continued to stumble down the street and paused to wash a bit of the filth from his face. Blood had caked his left eye and it was getting harder to see. He fell to his knees and splashed the cool water over his face, wincing when it hit the still fresh cut over his eye. After a few more attempts he knew there wasn’t much more that he could do and stopped trying to erase the damage that had been done.

His reflection in the water, warped by ripples at first but soon shown clearly in the muddied basin, was anything but pretty. One eye, his left again, was starting to swell and the cut over his eyebrow was barely clotting. Red rivulets ran down his temple and over his cheek. He tried to wipe them away, but the action did very little to stop them from falling again. The right side of his face was miraculously untouched, but Ariel knew that was only because he had been a coward and taken his chance to escape greedily.

He hated weakness. Hated feeling it. Hated seeing it. He hated himself for _being_ weak. Heat pooled in his belly at the reminder of the beating he took, simply for being pretty enough for a paycheck, and when his stomach lurched at the memory of the sick smiles on his attacker’s face, he gladly emptied its contents into the basin. When he was finished and all that his body could do was dry heave in hot anger, he looked down at the evidence of his weakness swirling mockingly in the water in front of him. He growled in frustration, pulled at his damp hair, and tipped the heavy dish with all the strength he could muster. Its contents spilled out onto the ground before him, even more of a mocking sight than he ever thought it could be.

A downpour began before he could even muster the strength to yell some more. Rain was a blessing in Almyra. It was cherished and needed. At this very moment, it was everything to Ariel. It washed away his mistakes, numbed the heat of self-hatred pooling deep in his belly, and gave him the reprieve needed to pull up the mask he relied so heavily on. He stood there, deathly still, and let the gift from the gods soak him to the bone.

He wondered… If he stood here long enough, could he find the strength to disappear with the rain when it stopped?

He had no way of knowing how long he had been standing there, but quite suddenly and with enough force to send him sprawling to the ground in surprise, a hand grabbed his shoulder. He kicked out in fear of repercussions for some imagined slight, but when a deep and warm laugh echoed through the market (that was where he ended up, he realized only now), Ariel could only fall back and let the rain drown out the noise of Nader’s amusement.

“You look like shit, boy!” Nader was never one to mince words, but Ariel would be lying if he said he wasn’t just the slightest bit happy to be in his presence. Nader was tough and unrelenting, but he had never hurt Ariel. The small childlike voice in his mind clung to the hope that called Nader a friend and guardian. A boot tapped against Ariel’s foot and he waved his hand in assurance that, yes he was listening. “What did I tell you about starting fights you can’t win?”

“You told me not to start them and I didn’t. I was innocent.” Ariel closed his eyes and willed his body to soak up all of the rain that it could. If he tried hard enough, maybe it would wash away his embarrassment. “I hit back and then I ran. Like you would do, you old bastard.” He couldn’t help himself to a bit of a verbal spar. If he was going to die, might as well die with at least one win on his belt.

He heard Nader mumble out a curse to old Gran, wherever she rested, about how disobedient and shitty her charge was, but then Nader laughed and two large hands were grabbing the front of Ariel’s wet shirt and hoisting him upright. When he was on his feet he was greeted with a hard thump on the back and he stumbled forward. Ariel reached up to wipe the water from his eyes, but gentle hands stopped him and he froze in uncertainty.

“I think he likes you.” It was a youthful voice. He didn’t recognize it, but he couldn’t deny that there was something about it he trusted implicitly. Then soft hands explored his face with practiced ease and Ariel only winced once when a soft cloth brushed over his cut.

“He tolerates me. I tolerate him. Mutual toleration.” Ariel tried to shake his head but one hand cupped his chin and kept his face still. “I don’t think that counts as being liked.”

Eventually the stranger’s touch disappeared and Ariel found himself missing it almost immediately. Finally free to move, he pried open his eyes and blinked away the residual blurriness left in his vision. “Thanks,” he mumbled and then gingerly poked at the cut, unable to stop himself. One of those hands returned again and pulled his fingers away before they could do any more damage. Ariel looked up.

A pair of kind green eyes met his own and Ariel’s only thought was that this boy’s face was soft and not so different from his. The stranger broke contact first and looked down at the cloth in his hands. He folded it meticulously and returned it to his pocket. “You’re welcome.”

Nader was off to the side when Ariel looked for him. He was waving his hands and explaining to some night guards the situation at hand. Ariel had been around him enough to be ashamed that most of these explanations came about because of him. He bowed his head in genuine shame before stealing a glance at the boy in front of him. He quickly looked back down at the bright smile the boy greeted him with.

The rain had lightened up drastically already and Ariel cursed the gods for the poor timing. His flushed cheeks would be difficult to explain away without weather to blame. Nader reached him in only a few strides and roughly took Ariel’s chin in hand, turning him this way and that and humming as though he were studying a work of art instead of a kid living on the streets. He pinched Ariel’s chin tighter and leaned in close.

“I told you to stop doing that job of yours.” Nader leaned back and crossed his arms. “One day you’ll wind up dead and it won’t be your ass being punished from beyond the grave, it’ll be _mine_.”

“Gran always did like me best.” Ariel snarked.

“This is Ariel?”

The question caught him so off guard that Ariel’s mouth snapped shut with an audible click. Nader eyed him with amusement and put a hand on the other boy’s shoulder, tugging him closer. “The brat I’ve been saddled with by destiny herself, yeah. This is him.”

“I’m Claude.” Ariel blinked in confusion when a hand shot out towards him in an offered greeting. He took it hesitantly. He never had many friends. He didn’t know how to properly interact with boys his own age, not unless it involved name calling and fights. He never fit in, but this boy, Claude, didn’t seem to think twice about being friendly. Ariel’s uncertainty about the situation must have shown on his face because Claude took a step closer and the proximity forced Ariel to look at him. The smile he was greeted with was just as bright and welcoming as before, but Ariel couldn’t help but notice a hint of sadness that he saw in Claude’s eyes.

Nader pushed Claude away, effectively breaking the two boys apart, and clapped a hand on Ariel’s neck. His grip left no room for complaints or smartassery, so Ariel just flinched and looked up. Nader had a serious look on his face and he leaned forward so he could get closer to Ariel’s level.

“Go home, Ari.” He paused before adding, “and don’t think about going anywhere else because I’m going to check on you later.”

Ariel rolled his eyes and slapped Nader’s arm away, grumbling out an affirmation as he did. Nader wasn’t offended by the action, just laughed and ruffled Ariel’s hair before walking past him and in the direction of the palace. Claude followed after him, but not before leaving Ariel with a wink and a quick wave of his hand. “See ya.”

Ariel watched them both go and when he could no longer see their retreating forms, he kicked at the muddied ground before him and started down the path to the run down place he called home.

He didn’t know just who that boy was, but he hoped he would be able to see him again. He mumbled his wish into the damp night air and picked up the pace.

There wasn’t a lot of food at home, but maybe if he cooked up something nice Nader would be more forgiving and _not_ make him train all night.

Wishful thinking.


End file.
